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5 unusual facts about North American P-51 Mustang


Combat flight simulator

The latest module released (release date September 21, 2012) features the North American P-51 Mustang.

Gys van Beek

Among those he helped escape was a P-51 pilot from Wisconsin, Lieutenant Howard Edward Moebius.

P-38 can opener

However, the P-51 can opener, while larger and easier to use than the P-38 can opener, also has a fighter plane namesake in the North American P-51 Mustang.

Piper Maru

The episode's cold open was filmed in a water tank, using a replica P-51 Mustang plane which had been designed by the art director.

Utah Air National Guard

Flying F-51D Mustang fighter aircraft, 10 pilots flew over 100 missions.


131st Bomb Wing

Converted from P-38's to P-51 Mustang's in the summer of 1944 and from then until the end of the war flew many long-range escort missions heavy bombers that attacked oil refineries, industries, and other strategic objectives at Berlin, Regensburg, Merseburg, Stuttgart, Brussels, and elsewhere.

2011 Reno Air Races crash

On September 16, 2011, at the Reno Air Races, a North American P-51D Mustang, named The Galloping Ghost, and was flown by James K. "Jimmy" Leeward crashed into spectators, killing the pilot and 10 people on the ground, and injuring 69 others.

377th Fighter Squadron

As a result of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the sudden end of the Pacific War, the deployment plans were canceled, however the unit was retained as part of the Second Air Force under Continental Air Forces and reassigned to Biggs Field, Texas, being equipped with P-51 Mustangs.

Curtiss XP-46

A myth surrounding the origins of the P-51 Mustang is linked to the North American Aviation (NAA) purchase of test data on the P-40 and P-46.

Egon Albrecht

On 25 August 1944 Albrecht was intercepted by USAAF P-51 Mustang fighters and shot down in his Bf 109G-14 near Creil.

Gaël

Known as Advanced Landing Ground "A-31", the 354th Fighter Group based P-51 Mustang fighters at the airfield from 13 August through 17 September 1944 before moving east to Orconte in the Marne département along with the advancing Allied armies.

James F. Hackler

In 1945 he became an operations staff officer for the XII Tactical Air Command in Germany, He remained in Europe after World War II as a P-51 Mustang squadron commander with the 357th Fighter Group stationed at Neubiberg, Germany.

Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum

Among the many World War II exhibits are aircraft including a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber that can be viewed while being restored, a Bf 109G Messerschmitt fighter, and a P-51 Mustang fighter.

North American P-51 variants

The Vice-Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir Wilfrid R. Freeman, lobbied vociferously for Merlin-powered Mustangs, insisting two of the five experimental Mustang Mk Xs be handed over to Carl Spaatz for trials and evaluation by the U.S. 8th Air Force in Britain.

North American P-64

In 1940, the NA-68s (along with a parallel order for NA-69 two seaters) ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force were en route to Thailand when their export clearance was cancelled and were returned to the United States where they were assigned the designation P-64, disarmed and used for advanced fighter training.

In 1940, the Royal Thai Air Force ordered six aircraft similar to the NA-50 that were designated NA-68.

Six NA-68s ordered by the Royal Thai Air Force were seized before export by the US government in 1941, after the Franco-Thai War and growing ties between Thailand and the Empire of Japan.

Oakey, Queensland

The Depot serviced, assembled and conducted test flights of Bristol Beaufort, P-51 Mustang, Norsemen, CAC Wirraway and Supermarine Spitfire aircraft.

Orconte

The Ninth Air Force 354th Fighter Group flew P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts from the airfield from 15 September until 11 December 1944.

Raby, New South Wales

The first land releases were located between three roads named in honour of famous fighter planes - Mustang Drive, Sopwith Avenue and Spitfire Drive.

Sergei Kramarenko

Glenn Todd Eagleston (4th FIG's commander, a famed World War II ace with 18.5 Luftwaffe kills while flying a P-51 Mustang, and two victories against MiGs in Korea), who belly-landed his jet at Kimpo Airbase South Korea.


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